Before Glenn Jacobs ever picked up a petition to run as a Republican in the Knox County mayoral primary and before there was a real estate mogul turned reality TV star turned president, there was WWE Hall of Famer Jesse “The Body” Ventura churning the waters of the North Star State's political scene.

Ventura was a mayor of a small town before running and winning the election to become Minnesota’s 38th governor in 1998.

Glenn Jacobs works the room during his election watch party on Tuesday, May 1, 2018. (Photo: Saul Young/News Sentinel)

He will face Democratic primary winner Linda Haney in the Aug. 2 general election. He is expected to win handily.

Political ropes

Ventura set a new, different kind of bar for entertainers-turned-politicians when he became the mayor of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, a town with about 75,000 people, from 1991-95, and became governor of the state in 1998 as a member of the Reform Party.

John Wodele was a Ventura aide serving as spokesman and political adviser for the former wrestler during his time as governor. He said people shouldn’t be surprised that wrestlers like Jacobs and Ventura have been successful.

“I mean, I would just say that in our democratic elected republic maybe it’s unusual that these wrestlers are running for office, but given the way that the WWE and other wrestling entertainment factions operate these days, they’re well-known people and they start with a base and there’s no reason they can’t run and can’t be successful,” Wodele said.

“I know a lot of people stick up their nose at wrestlers, and they did that to Ventura and he ended up looking down on them and I think that’s wonderful, I really do,” he said.

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WWF wrestler Kane, aka Glenn Jacobs, shakes hands with kids after giving a fistful of tickets to Vice Mayor Jack Sharp (left). Jacobs was at the South Community Center where the city proclaimed April 16 WWF Day in Knoxville. The tickets are for kids from the center to attend the WWF event in 2003.(Photo: Michael Patrick/News Sentinel)

Ventura and Jacobs aren’t the only wrestlers who have found a political window.

Last May, GQ ran a lengthy profile on the possible political aspirations of Dwayne Johnson, long known by his wrestling name, The Rock. Wodele said Johnson has sought advice from Ventura.

Ventura’s time in office waned, however. He served one term and didn’t seek re-election. Wodele said it didn’t help that as an independent, Ventura lacked the support from a major party, which meant passing legislation was a chore at best.

Learning curve

Jacobs is very humble and soft-spoken, two traits that clash with his wrestling persona. He’s quick to point out that he hasn’t won anything yet, but he has already begun reaching out to politicos, including former Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale, as he prepares to enter office.

“We have to start assembling our team early and we have to (start) on that learning curve early as well,” he said after Thursday’s provisional ballot count. “So you want to be prepared for things as much as you can before Day 1, and we’re already talking about that and meeting with folks we need to meet with and that sort of thing.”

Likewise, Wodele said Ventura surprised people at the way he put together a cabinet and surrounded himself with people who could construct a working government.

(Photo: Elizabeth Flore/The Star Tribune via AP)

“A lot of people (not only) underestimated his ability to get elected but they underestimated his intellectual capacity,” he said. “He’s a smart man. We could see this as we went about forming a government and hiring people.

"He consistently hired very high-quality people who the public held in high regard,” he continued. “I think a lot of people were skeptical that he would attract the kind of people he did.”

Ragsdale said Jacobs will make a fine mayor. When asked about the learning curve he will experience, Ragsdale said Jacobs should surround himself with good people.

“If I gave him just one piece of advice it would simply be to surround yourself with some folks who have experience in government previously,” he said. “And I think he’ll do that. And consequently, I think he’ll do a wonderful job and our community will be well-served.”

Could be Haslam’s mayor

Gov. Bill Haslam served as the mayor of Knoxville before taking the state’s highest position in Nashville in 2010. In roughly eight months or so, Haslam will be a Knox County citizen again, possibly with Jacobs as mayor.

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Gov. Bill Haslam speaks during the announcement of Belgian bus company Van Hool building a factory in Morristown, Tenn. and creating more than 600 jobs, Thursday, April 12, 2018.(Photo: Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel)

Haslam said being a mayor is an “incredibly important” position. When asked, Haslam said he’d emphasize to Jacobs that the role isn’t a political one.

“Having said that, Knox County government is like the city of Knoxville and the state of Tennessee, it’s a big service organization, we provide a lot of services to folks,” he said. “So, it’s critical that people in leadership positions understand that at the end of the day this is really not a political job. It’s about providing services all across the city or the county or the state.”